Maria Malatesta

About the Author

Maria Malatesta is a distinguished historian specializing in modern Italian society and culture, with a particular focus on the transformative period from unification to the early twentieth century. Her research illuminates the intricate relationships between social structures, professional identities, and cultural shifts in post-Risorgimento Italy, drawing on extensive archival work to reveal how emerging professions shaped national identity and social hierarchies. As a professor emerita at the University of Bologna, Malatesta has influenced generations of scholars through her rigorous yet accessible scholarship, blending meticulous historical analysis with insightful commentary on gender, class, and power dynamics. Her seminal work, Society and the Professions in Italy, 1860–1914 (Cambridge Studies in Italian History and Culture), remains a cornerstone in the field, offering a nuanced exploration of how professionalization intersected with Italy's modernization. Beyond academia, Malatesta contributes to public discourse on Italy's historical legacy, advocating for a deeper understanding of its societal evolution.